Gadd: Tough to campaign against old friends

BYESVILLE When Mayor Don Gadd won re-election Tuesday, he experienced two emotions, one of which surprised him.

As he had expected, he felt a happy gratitude.

He also felt numb.

On Wednesday morning, Gadd went to a meeting in Zanesville. In the early afternoon, he returned to the village to meet with the people at the Pomegranate adolescent health center.

By 2:15, he was back at the Village Hall, returning council members' desks to their proper spots and moving chairs from his office to council's chamber. (The desks had been rearranged and chairs had been moved to his office to make room for a poll in the council chamber.)

Then, he walked up and down the hallway, talking to Clerk Tracey Cain, Village Administrator Dick Rausch and citizens who wandered in to congratulate him.

Finally, he went to his office, looked out the window, sat down and swiveled in his chair.

"I'm numb today," he said. "All day, I've just felt numb. I campaigned as hard as I ever have. But I didn't know how it was going to turn out. It was just hard to get a read."

He credited his campaign strategy for helping him to victory.

"Being positive was part of it," he said, adding that it was difficult to refrain from defending himself against personal attacks.

"But I wouldn't do it. I refused to run a negative campaign.

Gadd said he was pleased to have won by a comfortable margin (he had nearly twice as many votes as his nearest challenger). He also was surprised.

"It was quite an experience. It was tough campaigning against people who were close to me for a long time.

"But I'm happy, too. Now, I get to see all of the projects completed."